Donald Trump is the Law & Order President.
And he and his administration follow through on their promises to the American people.
As reported by our friends at Fox News, his administration has just leveled unprecedented terrorism charges against the leader of violent street gang MS 13:
The leader of MS-13 has been charged with terrorism amid a nationwide crackdown on the group, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
The indictment, unsealed in Virginia against Melgar Diaz, marked the first time the Justice Department has brought terrorism charges against a member of MS-13.
Attorney General William Barr described Diaz as "the person who would green-light assassinations" for the gang in the United States.
Four unidentified members of the Mara Salvatrucha "MS-13" show their tattoos in the unit where they are kept imprisoned in the National Penitentiary in Tamara.
Prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty against Alexi Saenz, another MS-13 leader in Long Island, N.Y. charged in seven killings, including those of two high school students slain with a machete and a baseball bat.
"We believe the monsters who murder children should be put to death," Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that his administration would not rest before bringing every member of the gang to justice.
The announcement came a day after grand juries in New York City and Nevada handed up new charges against nearly two dozen MS-13 members, ranging from drug dealing and kidnapping to murder and racketeering.
The cases were related to Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), an initiative launched in August 2019 aimed “disrupting, dismantling, and ultimately, destroying MS-13,” according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Joint Task Force Vulcan’s operations have significantly degraded MS-13 capabilities. While there is still work to be done, the Department of Justice remains committed to protecting Americans threatened by MS-13, and we will not rest until we have successfully defeated this transnational criminal organization,” Barr said in a statement.
MS-13 is believed to have been founded by immigrants in Los Angeles who had fled war in El Salvador in the 1980s. It is considered one of the top transnational organized crime threats in the United States. Barr has likened the group to a “death cult.”
ICE.Gov details the entire multi-year operation that brought forth the indictments:
An investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Las Vegas resulted in the criminal arrest of 11 members and associates of MS-13 Tuesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles, California. Another six MS-13 members and associates were also arrested on administrative charges, with criminal charges pending in five of the six cases, for a total of 17 MS-13 arrests made Tuesday in the two cities. HSI was greatly assisted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The indictment of 13 individuals was unsealed Wednesday in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.
During the operation, HSI seized five pounds of methamphetamine, $28,000 in cash, 14 firearms (9 long arms and five handguns), and six suppressors.
President Donald J. Trump announced the results of this multiyear investigation in the Oval Office Wednesday with the heads of various law enforcement agencies, including ICE Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Matthew Albence, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf.
The 21-count indictment charged the 13 leaders, members, and associates with violation of the federal "Kingpin" statute and multiple drugs and firearms offenses, including transporting bulk quantities of methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
The indictment was returned under seal July 8, by a federal grand jury sitting in Las Vegas. Tuesday morning, 11 of the 13 defendants were taken into criminal custody: five defendants were arrested in the Los Angeles area, and five defendants were arrested in Las Vegas, and one transferred from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) custody to criminal custody in Tacoma, Washington.
"Gangs threaten the safety of our communities, not just in major metropolitan areas but in our suburbs and rural areas, too," said Francisco Burrola, special agent in charge for the HSI Las Vegas office. "Gang-related violence and criminal activity present an ongoing challenge for law enforcement everywhere. Our efforts to dismantle gangs are much more effective in areas where partnership with local law enforcement is strongest."
Two other defendants — Juan Angel Reyes (also known as "Angel" and "Mysterio") and Eder Cruz-Salguero (also known as "Edgar Manolo Ramirez-Salguero" and "Venado") — are considered fugitives and a warrant remains outstanding for their arrests.
"As a result of the hard work and substantial resources dedicated by our local and federal law enforcement partners, this collaborative effort has disrupted MS-13's leadership and significantly undermines the gang's ability to engage in violence and other criminal conduct in Nevada, California, and elsewhere throughout the country," said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. "Our office is proud to contribute to making our streets safer and stopping MS-13 from using a well-worn path between Los Angeles and Las Vegas to develop a greater presence in Las Vegas. We are grateful to HSI, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and ATF: without their bravery, this prosecution would not be possible."
"The magnitude of this operation will have a huge ripple effect on this criminal enterprise. Dangerous gangs like these contribute to the decay of our communities by bringing drugs and other violent crime to our streets. They threaten the safety of our neighborhoods and our way of life. These arrests are a real victory against gang violence," said Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo.
"Gangs are one of the nation's key distributors of narcotics and are flagrant in their use of firearms to carry out violence and intimidation," said Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman, San Francisco Field Division, ATF. "Through ATF's collaborative Crime Gun Intelligence Model, local, state, and federal partners diligently pursue violent criminals and the sources of their crime guns to remove them from our communities. Throughout this investigation, ATF has worked side by side with our partners to fulfill ATF's mission of protecting the public by investigating the criminal misuse and trafficking of firearms in Las Vegas. ATF remains committed to working hard and doing our part to make this city a safer place."
As detailed in the indictment, MS-13 originated in Los Angeles and has since spread across the country. MS-13 is organized by subsets known as "cliques," such as "Hollywood Locos" and "Fulton." In the southwestern United States, the Hollywood Locos clique operates in several major cities, including Los Angeles and Las Vegas."
Promises made, promises kept.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!